The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)

Find the latest news, research, standards, farmer programmes, partnerships, sustainability initiatives, and industry developments from the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). Stay informed on sustainable cotton, regenerative agriculture, climate resilience, soil health, water stewardship, responsible pesticide use, farmer livelihoods, and cotton supply chains.

The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global sustainability initiative focused on improving cotton production for farmers, farm workers, communities, and the environment. Its Standard System provides a framework for more sustainable cotton farming, covering environmental, social, and economic priorities. BCI works with farmers and field-level partners to promote practices that improve soil health, water management, biodiversity, climate resilience, crop protection, decent work, and sustainable livelihoods.

BCI’s farm-level Principles and Criteria are built around six principles: Management, Natural Resources, Crop Protection, Fibre Quality, Decent Work, and Sustainable Livelihoods, with Gender Equality and Climate Changeintegrated as cross-cutting priorities. The latest P&C v3.2 took effect on April 1, 2026, strengthening the organisation’s focus on regenerative agriculture and continuous improvement.

The initiative has become one of the world’s largest cotton sustainability programmes. In the 2023–24 cotton season, 1.39 million licensed farmers across 15 countries produced 5.64 million tonnes of BCI Cotton, representing more than a fifth of global cotton production. BCI also works with thousands of organisations across the cotton supply chain through its membership and sourcing platform.

BCI’s current agenda places increasing emphasis on regenerative agriculture, climate change mitigation and adaptation, soil health, water-use efficiency, biodiversity, carbon storage, pesticide management, gender equality, and farmer economic resilience. Its 2030 strategy aims to scale sustainable cotton production while improving livelihoods and strengthening demand for responsibly produced cotton.

This category features Better Cotton Initiative news, BCI standards, regenerative cotton farming, farmer programmes, certification, sustainable cotton production, soil health, water stewardship, pesticide management, climate resilience, traceability, supply-chain developments, farmer livelihoods, partnerships, and global cotton sustainability initiatives.